An Old Friendship
by PaulineMail
Summary: Sequel of A New Terrifying Adventure. Katniss is pregnant of Peeta's baby. She tries to overcome her fears about motherhood, when the past comes knocking at her door.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi ! I'm Pauline and this is my second fanfic. If you don't know it yet, I'm French and so English is not my mother tongue. In consequence, pardon my grammar and spelling errors. I do my best. **

**This story is the sequel of the first one I wrote (you can find it on my profil page, under the name "A New Terrifying Adventure". I like to start with a little lemon, even though I'm not great at it because I lack vocabulary on the subject. Strangly, we don't learn that kind of words at the university... That's a shame !**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Through the window, I watch the rain falls. With my finger, I follow the path of the raindrops on the cold pane. _I'm bored_, I repeat myself again and again. It has been raining for three days. Which means I haven't hunt for three days. _I'm bored._ I sigh heavily and I can hear Peeta chuckle. Today is Sunday, the only day he doesn't have to work. I turn to look at him. He is on the sofa, a pen in his hand and a notebook on his lap. His eyes are focused on his drawing.

"What's so funny ?" I ask him.

"You" he answers, finally looking at me.

"I'm bored." It feels good to say it aloud.

"I know. And you are funny when you are bored."

I cross my arms, to show him that I don't share his sense of humor. But it only makes him smile even more.

"I know what will improve your mood : a hot chocolate !"

Peeta's right : the only thought of a hot chocolate brings a little smile on my face. Peeta see it and is on his feet the next second. He kisses my forehead and heads for the kitchen.

My eyes fall on his notebook. I can now see what he was drawing. It represents a four months pregnant woman. She stands next to a window, her right hand on the pane. Her hair is all around her face and her shoulders. Her left hand rests on her slightly round belly. I need a few seconds to realize that this me. The four months pregnant woman is I.

Before a new wave of fear hits me, I jump off the sofa and go find Peeta in the kitchen. I still have the notebook in my hand and I toss it on the counter next to him.

"You know, it's kind of scary your obsession with me" I tease him.

He puts his arms around my waist : "You think ? It's not as if I have been in love with you since I was 5. _That _would be scary."

His lips are now only inches from mine. He seems to want to take his time but I don't. My hands are in his hair in a second and I close the very short distance between us. Soon we are both gasping for air. But I don't want our embrace to stop. So I decide to take the lead, for once. I keep kissing Peeta's neck, while my hands are reaching for his belt. I manage to undo it. Peeta understands my intention and he pulls my face back to his, my lips back to his. I quickly unbutton his pants and I take his penis in my hand. Peeta doesn't stop kissing me. However, as my hand moves up and down his shaft, I can feel that his focus drifts. Satisfied by his reaction, I speed up the rhythm. Now he has to stop kissing me. He is breathing hard and moaning. I don't stop until I'm done.

Then Peeta opens his eyes and I can see fire in it.

"Your turn" he simply says.

He grasps my waist and pushes me gently against the table of the kitchen. I sit at its edge I wrap my legs around his waist. Peeta takes my shirt off in a swift movement, then my bra. He kisses my neck, my shoulders, my breasts, my belly, my navel. I'm now lying down the table and my breathing has sped up.

Peeta is about to take off my pants when we hear a cough. At the same time, we turn our head toward the entrance of the kitchen.

"Haymitch !" I scream. I grab my shirt and put it back. Peeta does the same with his boxer shorts.

I jump off the table and I turn to face Haymitch : "A door bell, you know what it is ?"

Haymitch doesn't answer directly my question : "Wow, I'm going to need a lot of liquor to forget that !"

"What do you want, Haymitch ?" asks Peeta, as annoyed as I am.

"That's a good question. Oh yeah I remember. My sink. It's broken or something. I think it's the same thing you had a few months ago. So I thought, like you know you are so nice and all – and I'm talking about you Peeta, not Katniss obviously – you could help fix that."

"Now ?" asks Peeta.

"Well I can see that you are, let's say, busy" he nods toward me with a big knowing smile, "but I have water all over my kitchen floor."

"Fine" sighs Peeta. He kisses me quickly and whispers : "We'll take back from where we have stopped as soon as I come back."

"I'll remind you where we were." Then I add louder : "And we'll lock the door this time."

"Good idea, Sweetheart" Haymitch agrees.

Once I'm left alone, I put the two cups of hot chocolate that we have totally forgotten about in the fridge and go upstairs to change myself. I put one of the tops I keep for when I go into town. The fabric that covers the belly is loose. That way, my round belly is almost invisible. I don't want the people to know that I'm pregnant. Not yet. Some people already stare at from time to time or whisper 'she's the mockingjay'. What is it going to be once they know I'm pregnant ? 'She's the knocked-up mockingjay' ? Just to think about makes me angry.

I decide to go back downstairs and calm myself in front of the television. There is this new show that Plutarch is producing. In reality, it's a very old show that was very successful before the first revolution. Plutarch has discovered thousands of tapes with its episodes in in the archives of the Capitol. It's a lame show about several families who can't bear each other. I think it is called 'The Young and the Restless'. I like this show for one reason : I always fall asleep when I watch it.

Today is not an exception to the rule. And so, when the door bell ring, I wake with a start.

I yawn, walk to the door and I say aloud : "Wow Haymitch, you have discovered the door bell. I'm so proud of you !"

I open the door, laughing but stop abruptly as soon as I see the face of the person on my doorstep.

"Gale ?"


	2. Chapter 2

**As always, I want to thanks everyone who has reviewed the first chapter. I'm happy to see you again on this story and hope you'll like it as you liked the prequel.  
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**I have forgotten to specify before the first chapter that this story has 5 chapters, each of more than 1,000 words. So it's longer than the prequel. Yeah, I'm kind of proud to myself (some self-congratulation has never hurt anyone ^^).**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

"Hi Katniss" says Gale.

I stare at him, briefly wondering if I'm still asleep. Last time I have seen Gale was a few minutes before I killed Coin. More than 2 years ago. Since then, I have had news from him from time to time by my mother. She meets him regularly as she moves from one district to another to help in the hospitals. She has given me his phone number once, but it was still too soon for me. Nowadays, my life is completely different. I do the best to leave the past behind. Gale belongs to the past. But here he is. In my doorstep.

"What are you doing here ?" I ask, my voice a little too harsh.

"I'm here for work. I have to check the new facilities of the factory. And so, I thought that I could come to see you. To say hi."

Gale smiles at me. I know I should say something, invite him to come in. Instead, I just stare at him. Gale's face hardens and he whispers :

"I guess it was a bad idea. I'm sorry."

He turns to leave. Finally, I'm able to, well, do something. I grab his wrist, which surprises Gale. His eyes travel between my face and my hand on his wrist. I now feel embarrassed by my gesture and let go of him.

"Would you like to come in ?" I ask, smile at him faintly.

He nods and follows me in the living room. We sit on the sofa. The silence lingers between us. We both look at everything on the room, except each other. A couple of minutes pass and finally, Gale finds the courage to say :

"I went at your old house but the woman there told me that you were living here now."

That's what I'd call to get to the heart of the matter ! I shouldn't be surprised though. Gale has always been a direct person.

"Well, I've never really get used to my house" I start, "and there were too many memories there."

Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I haven't seen Gale for 2 years and 10 minutes after our reunion, I refer to Prim. _Really thoughtful Katniss_, I tell myself.

Gale just nods several times. I can see the pain in his eyes, even though he tries not to show it. But I know him better than that. It's weird, after all this time I can still see through him. For instance, right now, I know that he have something else to ask but he just doesn't know how to bring the subject. Usually he ends up by telling frankly that's in his head.

"So you and Mellark ?" he asks. _One point for me !_

"Yes, me and Peeta" I simply answer.

Once more, Gale nods his head several times before he turns his gaze to me. He smiles and says : "That's good. I mean, he really loves you. And I know you enough to know that you wouldn't live with him if you didn't feel that way about him too. Anyway, I'm happy for you Catnip."

Hearing this stupid nickname brings a smile on my face : "Thanks Gale."

"I'm just curious about one thing," he starts and I can see that he is not sure if he should go on. But he does : "Is he back to normal ? I mean, does he still have mental breakindown because of the hijacking ?"

Why does he have to ask that ? I know that Gale is just worried for me but I really don't want to talk about it with him. If I tell him that from time to time Peeta stops seeing the reality and goes back to the one the Capitol has created for him, Gale is going to think Peeta represents a danger for me. This is not the case. Each time it has happened, I have managed to bring Peeta back to me. It doesn't matter that he yells at me, insults me or even threatens me, because he is not really himself at those moments. And anyway, nothing has happened those last 5 months. I really hope that's over.

Gale is watching intensely, reading my reaction. I try my best to compose my features and answer : "No, not anymore."

Before Gale can determine if I'm telling him the truth or not, we hear the door open, followed by Peeta's voice :

"So where were we ?"

"I'm in the living room, Peeta" I call and then add : "And we have a guest."

It would be awkward if Peeta enters the room without his shirt on. Or worse, naked since it is actually where we were.

Obviously, Peeta is very surprised to see Gale. They shake hands. Gale explains the reason of his visit. Peeta says he is happy to see him. Once the introductory chitchat is over, they both look at me as if it was my turn to speak. It makes me uncomfortable and I say the first thing that comes to my mind :

"Have you fixed Haymitch's sink, Peeta ?"

"I have. He was right, it was the same problem we have had a few months ago. By the way, I have invited him to dinner. Well he more or less has invited himself but…"

"He always does" I answer.

Peeta looks at Gale and asks : "You're staying for dinner, right ?"

"I don't know. I don't want to impose myself."

"You are not," I tell him. At this precise moment, I realize how much I have missed my best friend. The one from before the revolution, before the direct thread of the Capitol on our lives and even before the Hunger Games. "It has been so long since we last saw you. We have so much to catch up."

"Then okay, I'm staying for dinner. Thanks for the invitation."

A few minutes later, Gale excuses himself and goes to the bathroom. Peeta and I head to the kitchen. While I peel the potatoes and Peeta cooks the meat, he asks me :

"How do you feel ? About Gale's visit ?"

"I'm good. It's nice to see him again. As long as we avoid some subject…"

Peeta nods and goes on : "Have you told him that you're pregnant ?"

I don't think Peeta would appreciate if I admit that I have totally forgotten I was pregnant. And thanks to my magic shirt, Gale can't have noticed it.

Peeta reads my reaction and sighs : "You should have. If it slips into the conversation, you would have only yourself to blame."

"I know. I just didn't have the opportunity to tell him, that's all."

We hear a knock at the door and when I open it, Haymitch looks at me from top to toe, a big grin on his face :

"Happy to see you have found the way back into your clothes."

"Shut up Haymitch," I retort. "Gale is here, so no stupid sex jokes. Am I clear ?"

"Gale is here ?"

"Am I clear ?" I repeat again. This afternoon wasn't the first time Haymitch has walked on us. The following days, he showed an incredible imagination for jokes, puns and insinuations. On my side, I showed an incredible imagination for possible ways to kill him. Peeta convinced me it wouldn't be such a great idea to murder him. Now I regret it.

However, Haymitch manages to behave during dinner. Well almost : before we sit at the table, he leans toward me and whispers :

"Do we really have to eat on this table ? I have so many images flashing in my mind every time I see it."

In response, I glare at him and it silences him.

The evening goes just fine. Gale asks about the reconstruction of District 12, about the people who have come back, we ask about his job in 2, about his new life…

Before he leaves, Gale makes me promised to go with him in the woods the next day. I agree and we say goodnight.

As I close the door behind him, I tell myself : _tomorrow I tell him I'm pregnant._


	3. Chapter 3

**I have noticed how most of you are soooooo fond of Gale. It made me laugh to read your reviews and see all the love Gale has received from you. Yeah, I'm being ironic of course. **

**I have already started to write a new sequel (again !) that I'm really excited about. However, I don't have any other ideas for later. So if you have a suggestion or anything, feel free to share in the review or by private message. You'll receive a virtual kiss from Gale. No I'm kidding, from Peeta of course. Or from Katniss, your choice. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

"You be careful, okay ?" cautions Peeta before I leave for my meeting with Gale. Even before, he wasn't really fond of me going into the woods alone. Now that I'm pregnant, it has become a true source of anxiety for him. I understand why but I _need_ to go into the woods. However lately, this need is less strong. I don't worry for my safety, but the safety of the human being growing inside me.

"Don't worry, I'll be safe. Gale will be with me" I reassure him. "And it 's more about catching up time than hunting anyway."

Peeta simply nods. It's obvious that he doesn't like the idea of me and Gale alone in the woods either. To prove him he has absolutely nothing to worry about, I take him into my arms and kiss him. The kiss lingers and deepens. My hands are knotted into Peeta's hair. Way too soon, we are out of air. I lean slightly back and look deep into his eyes.

I whisper : "I love you."

This time I can see that Peeta is less anxious. He kisses me one last time and presses his hand softly against my womb, before wishes me a good day.

Last time, Gale and I didn't explicitly say where we were supposed to meet. However it was clear for both of us : our former meeting point.

I retrieve my bow and arrows and head to the place I have been avoiding for 2 years. Gale is already waiting for me, sitting on a log. I sit next to him and, without a word, he hands me some berries. I take them and put two into my mouth.

"Weird, isn't it ?" asks Gale. "To be here again."

"Yes, never thought it would happen again" I admit.

"You still hunt, right ?"

"Of course" and then I remember my goal of the day. "But these last months, I…"

Gale doesn't let me finish : "We should get going. The weather's not great. I'm afraid it's going to rain."

I look up at the sky and see that he's right. We probably have only 2 hours before the rain begins to fall. Our old routine comes back effortless. It feels natural and reassuring.

One hour later, we already have killed 3 squirrels and 2 birds. A third one has fallen into the branches of a tree and Gale and I are standing at its root.

"Why don't you climb and get this bird ?" asks Gale.

Climbing is the kind of things I have forbidden myself to do ever since I know I'm pregnant. I could so easily fall.

"I rather not" I answer, faintly.

"Why not ?" Gale frowns.

I look into his eyes, open my mouth but no words escape. Why am I so afraid to tell him I'm pregnant ? It's not a big deal. Our friendship has gone through so much but here we are, back into our woods, hunting. I guess our friendship isn't as strong and sincere as before. Prim's ghost is here, between us. We have avoided the subject carefully but we both know it's here, keeping us distance from each other. Then why am I unable to tell him I'm pregnant ? I don't doubt my love for Peeta. I have had time to think it through and there is no more doubt in my mind now. I love Peeta and want to spend the rest of my life with him. These two truths are what make me believe I can go through this pregnancy and later through motherhood. I know that I would never have agreed with that if it wasn't for Peeta.

Suddenly I know what the problem is : I have settled my feelings for Peeta… but not for Gale. After I came back to 12, I tried not to think about him. The memory of Prim's death was much too mingle with him. Later, once Peeta and I have grown back together, I could think again about my former best friend. I wonder what his life was and all. But that was all. I have never thought back at the time when I wondered if there was only friendship between us. And right now, this question jumps back in my mind. _What are my feelings for Gale ?Is it more than plain friendship ?_

A raindrop brings me back to the present. It is followed by another and another… soon it is downpour and Gale and I are running toward town. I don't know why but I start laughing. Stupid hormones ! My hair is wet and it sticks on my face. Nevertheless I stop running. My laughter prevents me from taking another step. I'm breathless and I put my hands on my knees in an attempt to catch my breath and calm my hysteria. Gale has stopped running too. I can hear his heavy breathing next to me.

"Why are you laughing so hard ?" he asks joyfully.

"Would you believe me if I tell you I have no idea why ?"

Gale chuckles : "Yeah I would believe you. I'm happy to see you laugh."

I straighten my back and smile at him : "We should get going."

To my surprise, Gale grasps my hand and he starts running again, pulling me with him.

We reach the porch of my house but Gale doesn't enter. I'm still laughing a little, until I realize that Gale is still holding my hand. He has his back at me, facing the door, his shoulders tense. I don't know why but I don't like that.

"What are you waiting for ?" I ask uneasily.

He turns his body in order to face me and his eyes lock into mine with intensity. Before I can say anything, his lips crush against mine and his hands lock into my hair. First I just can't react. The surprise paralyzes me. Then I tell myself that he is going to pull away in a second and my fist is going to meet his face as soon as he does. Finally I decide that I don't want to waste another second. My hand forms a fist and comes crashing into his cheek.

Gale's face registers the shock but I don't let him the time to do more : "What the hell are you doing ?" As he doesn't answer, I repeat : "What the hell are you doing ? Answer me !"

"I guess I was kissing you" he answers with a little smile, which only amplifies my anger.

"You think you are funny ? How dare you ?"

"Oh come on Catnip, it's not as if it was the first time."

This time, I explode : "Don't call me like that ! You have just lost this right ! And stop smiling like that ! Just… just get out of here. I don't want to see you again."

I walk past him and shut the door at his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Poor Gale ! You are more and more harsh to him (I don't blame you, believe me). And I don't think this new chapter is going to fix that. I guess that's my fault : Gale is not that bad in the books. I'm the one making him do and say bad things. So my apology to Gale's lovers (if there's any...).**

**Thank you all for your reviews. They make me happy, smile, happy, laugh and happy. Enjoy this new chapter. One more to come for this story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

I burst in the bathroom, take the first towel I find and wring my hair with it. I'm freezing, angry and afraid I might have catch a cold. I quickly take off my clothes, dry my body and put new clothes on it. I feel warmer now and still as mad as before. _How dare he kissing me ?_

I walk down the stairs, happy that Peeta is at the bakery and hasn't seen me like that. _What am I going to tell him ? The truth ? Or maybe nothing ?_ Before I can go any farther in my wondering, I notice water on the floor. The trail is leading to the kitchen. _This time I swear I'm going to kill him !_

I push the door and there he is, trying to dry his clothes with a kitchen cloth.

"I've told you to leave" I remind him as calmly as I can manage.

He doesn't even look at me when he says : "I think we should talk about what's just happened first."

"You have a hell of a nerve, Gale Hawthorne !" I yell. "I thought we could be friend again. And I thought that was what you wanted too. That it was the reason why you came back. But no ! Once more you have decided to throw our friendship away."

Finally he drops his eyes from his wet clothes and looks at me. He starts saying "Once more ?" but stops midsentence. He just stares at me, his expression more shocked than after I punched him.

"What ? Why are you looking at me that way ?" I ask, puzzled by his attitude. I look down at my body, wondering if I have forgotten to wear pants or something and I realize the reason of his staring. I have pants on, this is not the problem. The problem is that my shirt is skin-tight around my swollen belly.

A faint "oh" escapes between my lips. As mad as I am at him right now, this is not how I wanted him to find out. I look at him again and see that he has regained some composure.

He takes a deep breath : "Are you…" he begins.

I wait for him to finish his sentence, which he doesn't. So I simply answer "yes".

He nods his head several times before trying another question :"I thought you never wanted to…" and once again, he doesn't finish.

"That's what I thought too. And it was planned at all. But…"

Gale cuts me, his voice sounding really mad : "But what ? You have been stupid enough to let he knock you up, that way you are stuck here with him !"

I thought I couldn't be angrier at him, but obviously I was wrong. I stride toward him and slap him as hard as I can.

"You don't know anything," I start, my voice surprisingly low and deadly. "You think you know me, right ? Yes, you used to know me better than anyone else. But you don't anymore. I'm not the same person anymore. The Hunger Games have changed me, the Quarter Quell has changed me, the war has changed me and more than anything, Prim's murder has changed me."

As soon as I say Prim's name, I know that I have hurt him more than my two punches had. _Good._ I don't blame him as much as I did for Prim's death. After all, he could never have imagined that his little invention would cause the death of my sister. However right now, I just want to hurt him.

His eyes and voice are full of pain when he says : "I will never forgive myself for what happened to Prim."

"I hope so" I retort. "Now get out of my house before I throw you out myself."

Without another word, or even another look, Gale walks toward the door and leaves.

I wait 5 minutes, just to be sure that Gale is not coming back. Then I try to calm myself. I take several deep breaths, close my eyes and empty my mind. Finally I open my eyes and I'm startled to see Peeta in front of me. It's the very first time that I don't hear him coming. I must have been really focused.

"Are you alright ?" he asks me, worry in his voice.

I almost run into him and hug him tight : "Now I am" I whisper.

He hugs me back but I can feel his confusion. However he doesn't say anything, probably waiting for me to explain myself. I sigh deeply and lean back. I don't want to tell him and at the same time, I don't want to hide it to him.

"It wasn't a good idea. To go back into the woods with Gale" I clarify.

"Why ? What happened ?"

"Everything went fine at first. We met in the woods and we hunted. And then the rain started to fall and we ran to go here. And…"

"Katniss," Peeta cuts me. Yeah, I'm rambling a little.

So I get to the point : "He kissed me."

Peeta's face hardens, even though he doesn't look surprised. His words confirm it : "Obviously he did."

I don't know what to say. I just watch him as he walks to the counter and leans against it. When he looks at me again, his eyes are guarded.

"Did you kiss him back ?"

I can't believe he's asking me that : "No, I didn't." And as he doesn't really seem to believe me, I add : "I punched him to make him stop."

Peeta stares at me and I can see his eyes soften. A smile begins to spread on his face and soon he is laughing : "you punched him ?"

I smile and as I walk toward him, I say : "Obviously. He had no right." I put my arms around Peeta's neck and add : "Plus, I have already someone in my life and I don't want to lose him."

I close the short distance between our lips. The first kiss is soft and sweet. Peeta breaks it to say :

"Never. You will never lose me."

When our lips touch again, the kiss becomes more passionate. I take his upper lip between my teeth and gently pull it. I let it go and then brush my tongue against it. Peeta's breath increases. He grasps my waist and lifts me against the counter so I sit in it. I wrap my legs around him and pull him as close as possible to my body.

Suddenly I feel something strange inside my stomach. No it's not exactly my stomach. I pull away from Peeta abruptly. He sees the alarm in my eyes :

"What's going on ?"

"I… I don't know. It's the baby I think."

Immediately, Peeta's hand is over my womb. For about a minute, we are totally quiet, waiting for the thing to happen again. The silence is eerie. And then I feel it again.

"That ! Did you feel that ?" I ask him, frightened.

Peeta looks up at me and smiles. It confuses me even more :

"Why are you smiling ? It's not funny. There's something wrong with the baby !"

I can feel tears rolling down my cheeks. Peeta puts his hands on each side of my face, wiping the tears with his thumbs.

His eyes are soft and full of love when he says : "The baby is moving, that's all. You don't have to worry, it's normal. It's actually a good sign." He kisses me and adds : "A very good sign."

"He's moving ?" I put my hand over my belly and at that precise moment, I feel a tiny rap against my hand. The feeling inside me is so weird, foreign and at the same time incredibly wonderful. I've never been more aware of the little human being growing safely inside me.

My hand covers Peeta's, which is still over my womb. I slip slowly off the counter to stand in front of him. I hug him and whisper in his ear : "I love you."

And as I say these three words, all my doubts of the afternoon disappear. I know that I love Peeta and that I'm loved in return. I know that I could never love someone else that way. Which means that I'll have to clarify things with Gale before he leaves. _Great !_


	5. Chapter 5

**Last chapter ! However, a new sequel will come as soon as I finish writing it. I hope you have enjoyed this story and that I'll see you again with the sequel, which title is "Breakdown". I'll try to finish it before the week-end, but I can't guarantee it.**

**I want to thanks 97, sw777, JennaGill, tessissingleandproud, SuperJule, mennan (I advice you to read her fanfic "Never let you out of my sight"), tessarunie, potterhead and SakuraMaeda (both of you, I'm happy to read your reviews in French), Kaprii Mellark (bad Kaprii who reads fanfictions while she is in class !), BookAddiction24 and jaskrox. Thank you so much for your reviews ! I love you all !**

**See you soon :)  
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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

As I walk through town, I'm very aware of the stares around me. For the first time, I'm in a public place, wearing a skin-tight shirt. I don't care that people find out about my pregnancy anymore. I went through harder ordeal than that, right ? And by now, I should be used to see my life being the subject of gossip.

On my way to the hospital, where Gale occupies a room during his stay in District 12, I come across Delly. She sees my round belly and smiles. She has been so supportive these last four months. I can really count her among my friends now. I greet her and offer her to come dinner tonight. She accepts and thanks me. Peeta's is going to be thrilled that I try to socialize more. I'm not such a desperate case after all.

I finally arrive at the hospital and make my way to his room. I knock at the door and the sound seems to echo my nervousness. I hear "come in", take a deep breath and enter.

Gale is near the bed, on which a bag lays full of clothes.

"You leaving ?" is the first thing that comes to my mind.

"Yes. My work is done here" he answers harshly.

His tone makes me understand that I shouldn't waste more time if I want to settle the situation between us. In a word, it's time to deliver my well-prepared little speech :

"Listen Gale, you are my oldest friend. I can't count the number of time you have helped me, you have saved me. And for that, you'll always be my friend. Despite what…" I swallow and say the next words as quickly as possible: "happened to Prim, I have never hated you. You have had such an important place in my life that I can't hate you."

Gale is smiling a little. I can see that the "I have never hated you" part has taken a weigh away from his shoulders. He needed to hear that.

"But everything has changed." These words erase the small smile on Gale's face. I continue : "We are not the same persons anymore. Yes, without the Games and everything what followed, we'd probably be together. And I would have been happy with you."

"But everything has changed" completes Gale, repeating my own words. "And we're not together."

"No, we're not. I'm with Peeta and I'm happy with him."

Gale sighs and takes a step towards me : "When I came here, I thought that maybe you missed me and that things could be fixed between us."

"I missed you and things can be fixed" I reassure him.

"But not the way I have imagined them."

This time, it's my turn to take a step towards him : "I guess not. But our old friendship isn't over. I don't want it to be over" I admit.

After a few seconds of silence, Gale asks : "Are you happy Katniss ? I mean, about… you know" he says, pointing at my womb.

I smile and answer : "I am."

"You have always told me that you would never want to found a family."

I can see pain in his eyes. And something else. Betrayal ?

"As I told you, it wasn't planned. At all." I grin. "However, I want it now. I want this baby more than anything."

Gale nods. New silence. And once again, it's Gale who breaks it : "I shouldn't have kissed you."

"No, you shouldn't have."

"It's just… being with you in the woods again and then seeing you laugh like that…" he trails off.

"I would lie if I say I didn't have… let's say, an internal questioning back there, in the woods. About the possibility of you and me," I confess.

"Really ?" inquires Gale, surprised.

"But everything is clear in my mind now," I add.

"And your place is here, in District 12." Gale completes.

"And your place is in District 2."

Again, the silence settles between us until Gale says, holding his arms open toward me : "Friend ?"

A big smile crosses my face : "Friend."

I take the two steps that separate us and accept his hug.

"If you're happy Katniss, then I'm happy."

"Thanks."

Before we break our embrace, Gale mutters : "Peeta is a lucky man."

Gale and I have never been good with emotion. In consequence, the first seconds after this openhearted moment are embarrassing. Gale coughs awkwardly before saying :

"I have to go. My train leaves in 10 minutes."

"Do you mind if I go with you at the station ?"

"Not at all," smiles Gale.

Not a word is pronounced between us until we reach the station. Maybe it's because we are two people of a few words and that we have already said so much in the last hour. Maybe it's because things have been clarified between us, things that should have been clarified years ago.

Once at the station, the train is already there and a dozen persons wait for it to leave. We are allowed to travel freely now and many people visit district after district. They call it 'vacation'. I'm not sure to grasp the concept. Where is the usefulness of it ?

"Well, time of say goodbye" says Gale.

I turn my body to face him and reply : "I'm happy you came. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Once again, he opens his arms and hugs me. "I'm sorry for what I said about Peeta. It's killing me to admit it but he's a good guy."

His last words move me more than anything else we have said. I can feel tears threatening to invade my eyes. Stupid hormones.

Our embrace is broken by the whistle of the train, informing that it's time to leave.

"Come back soon" I yell above the racket the train is making now.

"I will," Gale answers. However I can see in his eyes that it won't be soon. I guess we both need time after everything that has been said.

He kisses my forehead. I close my eyes and I hear him whisper "goodbye". When I open my eyes again, I'm alone on the platform. I see Gale behind the window of the train and waves me goodbye. The doors close and Gale leaves District 12.

I stay there a few minutes, in the now silent station. When I'm about to leave, two arms encircles me from behind. I immediately recognize Peeta and lean against him.

"What are you doing here ?" I whisper. The silence around us is too beautiful to be disturb.

"I had to fill an order for the bakery."

I nod.

"How went your conversation with Gale ?" Peeta asks.

I turn around in order to face him. His arms stay around me and I place mine around his neck.

"He said you were a good guy" I grin.

"Wow, that's… something." For once, Peeta can't find his words.

"He also said you were a lucky man."

"That's true," he whispers before kissing me. And of course, like every time we kiss, the desire is fast to appear. I guess that's what happens when you live with the man you love at 19.

I have to remind myself that we are in a train station. I mutter between Peeta's lips : "Let's go home. We have something to finish."

Peeta takes my hand and we start walking toward the exit of the station.

"And what is it ?" he asks.

"Well, if I recall correctly, you were naked. I didn't have my shirt on anymore but still my pants. However you were about to take them off when our lovely neighbor burst into the kitchen."

Peeta laughs : "I remember now. Maybe we should stop doing that in every room of the house."

I'm horrified by his suggestion : "Or maybe we should kill Haymitch and keep doing that wherever we want."

"Or maybe we should lock our door and spare Haymitch's life."

"It's less fun but okay," I shrug.


	6. Author Note

**No, this is not a new chapter, just a little note to let you know that I have written a sequel to this story called Breakdown. You can find it by visiting my profile page. I hope to see you again with this new story.**

**Once again I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed my precedent fanfics. Your support means so much to me.**

**Pauline.**


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